Cowboy Defender (Cowboys 0f Holiday Ranch Book 9)

by Carla Cassidy

  “Do you know the address?” Dillon asked.

  “I don’t,” Hank replied miserably. “And I think it’s still in her grandparents’ name and I don’t know those names, either.”

  “Have you been there before? Could you take us there?” Clay asked.

  Hank frowned again. “I’ve been there a couple of times, but I was fairly drunk when I went.” The man had the grace to look ashamed. “Still, I think maybe I could get us there.”

  “Then let’s go,” Clay said.

  He was the first one in Dillon’s car. He sat in the back seat so Hank could ride up front and give directions. Hank had to get them there. He just had to. So much time had already passed. Too much time.

  The other two men climbed into the car and Dillon headed for the highway that would take them out of town. Clay’s heart beat painfully in his chest.

  It seemed like it had been days since he walked into the high school in search of her. Were all their efforts too late? Would they get to Lori’s place only to find Miranda dead?

  He squeezed his eyes tightly closed. No. No, they couldn’t be too late. Miranda couldn’t be dead. She just couldn’t be. If she was, Clay would forever be altered. He would never, ever love anyone like he loved Miranda. She just had to still be alive.

  He opened his eyes and stared out at the passing scenery that went by in a blur of misty tears. Dillon’s siren screamed, moving other drivers to the side of the road so they could speed ahead.

  Clay only wished he knew what they were rushing to find. Would the woman he loved to distraction be dead or alive? Would they be in time to save her?

  Nobody spoke as their car ate up the miles, and with each mile Clay’s desperation grew bigger. Dillon drove fast, but it wasn’t fast enough for Clay’s comfort. Once again he found himself leaning forward against the seat belt, as if by doing so he could make the car go faster.

  They had been driving for about thirty minutes when Hank told Dillon to slow down. “I know we make a right-hand turn on one of these country roads coming up ahead,” he said.

  Dillon slowed the car. “And once we make that right turn, how far is it to the cabin?”

  “Maybe five miles or so. It’s got a lot of tree cover.”

  Dillon silenced the siren. “There’s no need to announce our arrival before we’ve assessed the situation,” he said. “When you’re sure we’re close, Hank, we’ll park and walk in quietly.”

  Clay was fine with that plan. Hopefully, with the element of surprise on their side, they could get in and rescue Miranda before Lori knew what was happening.

  “Turn right,” Hank said suddenly as they almost passed a dirt road.

  Dillon made the turn and Clay’s heartbeat accelerated. He didn’t even want to think about the possibility that Lori hadn’t brought her to the cabin, that they were on a wild goose chase that would end in nothing.

  “Wait...wait,” Hank said when they had only driven a short distance down the road. “This is wrong. This isn’t the right turn. We need to go back.”

  “Jeez man.” Clay punched the back of Hank’s seat in frustration.

  “Sorry, I’m doing the best I can here,” Hank replied. Clay remained silent as Dillon turned the car around and got back on the highway.

  They passed another turnoff to the right but Hank told Dillon to continue on. Did Hank really know where he was taking them? If he’d been drunk each time he’d been here then how accurate could his directions be?

  As they approached another dirt road to the right, Hank told Dillon to turn off. “Go slow,” he said. He leaned forward in his seat. “This looks right,” he said. “I just know this is right.” He sat up taller.

  Clay prayed he was correct. If Clay didn’t get to Miranda in the next ten minutes he thought he might die. Panic clawed up his throat. Sweat dotted his brow. His need for her was greater than anything he’d ever experienced before in his life.

  “You might want to park now,” Hank finally said. “The cabin is up ahead on the right.”

  “Are you sure?” Dillon asked.

  “I’m pretty sure.”

  Clay was out of the back seat before Dillon came to a full stop at the side of the narrow, tree-lined dirt road. He and the other two men met in front of the car.

  “We go in quiet and assess the situation. We don’t want to do anything that might make the situation worse. I’ll lead the way. Hopefully there are enough trees to provide us cover so we can get a look at the place and then figure out our best move,” Dillon said.

  Together the three walked up the road. Let this be it, Clay prayed. And let us be in time to find her alive. The words were a mantra as the three approached the overgrown driveway to the cabin.

  Staying behind a stand of trees, they got their first look at the cabin. From the outside, the place looked completely abandoned. The paint was weathered to a dull gray and the wood siding sported more than its share of rot. Weeds and brush grew tall, as if trying to hide the eyesore of a cabin.

  Still, his heart momentarily lifted from dark despair when he spied Lori’s car parked at the side. She was the last person to be seen with Miranda and he hoped like hell Miranda was in that old cabin with her.

  They got closer, and all of a sudden a big Rottweiler stood from where he had apparently been sleeping on the porch. A thick chain tethered him to a porch railing. He appeared on alert and then, to Clay’s horror, he began to bark wildly.

  A window at the front of the cabin flew open. “Whoever is out there, go away. There is no trespassing on this property so get the hell off it,” Lori yelled out.

  Dillon stepped from behind a tree. “Lori, I just want to talk to you,” he called out.

  A gun fired from the window. Clay gasped in surprise as Dillon dove for cover.

  “I told you to go away. I’m busy working on this place and I don’t have time for socializing,” Lori said.

  “I’ll only take up a few minutes of your time,” Dillon replied.

  “I don’t have a couple minutes to spare.” She fired off another shot.

  Oh, God, this was all going sideways. Clay really hadn’t considered Lori would have a gun and wouldn’t be afraid to use it.

  “Is Miranda in there with you? We know she got into your car,” Dillon shouted back.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lori replied. “I’ve been here all morning working.”

  “A witness saw Miranda get into your car at the school this morning,” Dillon said.

  “Lori, honey, if you’ve got Miranda in there with you, then just let her go,” Hank yelled.

  “It’s all about Miranda. It’s always all about Miranda,” Lori screamed in obvious rage. The gun exploded again. “Go away, and if anyone even thinks about entering this cabin, there will be hell to pay and you won’t like what happens.”

  “Lori, don’t you see that it’s too late?” Dillon said. “If Miranda is still alive then let her go and you won’t be facing murder charges.”

  “All I want is Hank’s love. I love him more than anyone else will ever love him, but Miranda always came between us. He was either drunk or obsessing about her and there wasn’t anything left over for me,” Lori said.

  “That’s not true, honey,” Hank replied. Dillon nodded, as if to keep Hank talking to her. Once again Clay felt that the fate of the woman he loved hung in the balance of a drunk and his dysfunctional relationship with the woman in his life.

  “You know I love you, Lori. I never loved Miranda as much as I love you,” Hank yelled. “All Miranda is to me is the mother of my children. Other than that she means nothing to me.”

  “Just tell us if Miranda is in there and if she’s alive,” Dillon said.

  Once again, the gun fired. “I don’t want to talk to you, Dillon Bowie. The bitch is alive, but she’s not as pretty as she used to be.”
>
  Oh, God. Clay’s stomach clenched tight. He didn’t give a damn what Miranda looked like, but what had Lori done to her? How bad were her wounds?

  “Let her go, Lori and we’ll figure this all out,” Dillon said.

  “Come on, honey. Why don’t you come out and let’s get back to living our life together,” Hank said. “If you kill Miranda, then you’ll go to prison for life and we’ll never be together again.”

  His words were followed by a long silence and the only sound in the air was the ominous growl of the dog, who bared his teeth as if ready to attack. Clay’s nerves were strung so tight they actually hurt beneath his skin. This standoff with a crazy woman in control of Miranda’s life was killing him.

  “I just wanted it to be you and me, Hank,” Lori finally shouted out the window. “I thought if she was gone then things would be better between us.”

  “If you just walk out here I promise things will be different...things will be so much better between us,” Hank replied. “Honey, I didn’t know you felt this way. Come on out and we’ll fix things. Lori, you have to know in your heart that I love you to the moon and back.”

  “You mean it, Hank? Things will really be different between us? You’ll stop talking about her? Stop even thinking about her?”

  “I promise things will be different,” Hank replied.

  Nothing happened for several gut-wrenching moments. Clay held his breath as finally the door creaked open. Was Lori really going to just walk out? Was Miranda dead or alive? If she was alive, what had Lori done to her?

  Lori appeared in the doorway with her hands held up and open. “Go to her,” Dillon said to Hank. “Get her away from the cabin.”

  Hank stepped out from behind the stand of trees where the men had been standing. “Honey?” He took several steps forward and opened up his arms. “Come on, baby,” he urged. “I really need to hug you right now.”

  She ran to him with a joyous expression on her face, but when Hank had her in his arms, he handed her right to Dillon, who handcuffed her, kicking and screaming at Hank for betraying her.

  Not wanting to take a chance with the dog by going in through the front door, Clay ran around to the side of the house to find another way in.

  Terror nearly closed off the back of his throat. What was he going to find inside? Had Lori already killed Miranda so he would find her dead body on the floor? Or had she been tortured so badly he’d find her bloody and broken?

  He picked up a rock near the foundation and smashed the first window he came to at the back of the house. “Miranda,” he yelled as he climbed through the window. There was no answer.

  He entered a small, empty bedroom. He raced into the hallway and paused, unsure which way to run. “Miranda!” Her name tore from the very depths of him. He paused and listened. He thought he heard a muffled cry coming from the kitchen area. He raced in that direction and when he reached the room he gasped in shock.

  Miranda was tied to a kitchen chair, a dirty rag shoved into her mouth. It wasn’t the sight of the thick ropes around her body or the gag that made him gasp. Rather, it was the blood that ran into her eyes, half-blinding her, and the blood that dripped down the side of her face and made a horrible splatter pattern on her white blouse.

  He fell to his knees in front of her, crying as he pulled the gag out of her mouth. “Miranda...oh, God, are you all right? What in the hell did she do to you?”

  “I’m okay...just...just untie me,” she said between sobs. “Get me out of this place.”

  Clay was vaguely aware of Hank entering the room. “Oh, God, what did she do? What can I do to help?”

  “Hand me that knife.” Clay gestured to a knife on the counter. “And then call for an ambulance.”

  Hank handed him the knife and Clay grimaced as he saw the bloody edge. Lori must have used it to cut up Miranda’s face. “Thank God you got here,” Miranda said through her tears. “She was going to kill me, Clay. She...she was going to kill me at dusk and bury me in a hole in the pasture where I’d never be found again.”

  “That’s not going to happen now or on any other day.” He wanted to check what was beneath all the blood on her face, but he was afraid to do anything with that until a doctor took care of it.

  “It’s all going to be fine now, Miranda,” he said as he sawed at the ropes that held one of her wrists to the chair. “Lori is going to prison for a very long time and that danger is gone forever.” He managed to get one wrist free and started on the other one.

  Her entire body trembled as she continued to cry weakly. “Sh...she did it all, Clay. She threw the acid and...and she cut my brake lines. She hated me. She wanted me dead.”

  “Shh, honey, I know.” He got her second wrist free and by that time Dillon had joined them. He gasped when he saw her bloody features.

  “Where is she?” Miranda asked in alarm, her eyes wide with terror.

  “Don’t worry, Miranda. She’s handcuffed and locked in the back of my patrol car,” Dillon replied. “Believe me, she’s not going to escape.”

  “Could you help me with the rest of these ropes?” Clay asked. “And she needs to see a doctor as soon as possible.”

  With both Hank and Dillon’s help, Miranda was finally free of the bonds and she threw herself into Clay’s arms and began to weep again. Clay did his best to soothe her and it wasn’t long before an ambulance arrived.

  She disappeared into the back of the vehicle to be treated and Clay waited outside for her. Several county patrol cars arrived and the officers got out of the car to speak to Dillon.

  Clay was sick with worry over Miranda. The nasty cuts on her face were obvious, but had Lori hurt her someplace where it wasn’t obvious? He didn’t think she had any broken bones, but he couldn’t be sure.

  Dillon spoke to the ambulance driver and it was agreed that he would take her to the Bitterroot hospital for an additional checkup.

  Clay started to climb into the back of the vehicle to ride with her, but she stopped him. “Ride back with Dillon and make sure Lori doesn’t somehow get away. You can meet me at the hospital and then Dillon wants me at the station for more questioning.” She released a deep sigh. “Right now I just want to rest.” As if to prove her point, she closed her eyes.

  Once again, she looked small and achingly vulnerable on the gurney. There was nothing he wanted to do more than crawl up next to her and listen to her heartbeat against his, an assurance that she was really and would be okay.

  But he had to abide by her wishes. He left the ambulance more than a little bit disturbed that she hadn’t wanted him with her for the ride.

  Now that the danger was really over, was this the beginning of her distancing herself from him? Was it possible her love hadn’t been real, that knowing she was safe, she didn’t need him anymore?

  * * *

  Miranda sat on the end of an examining room table and tried not to cry out with pain as Dr. Johnson stitched up the knife cut on the side of her face. The forehead cut had required only butterfly bandages.

  “Thank goodness it was a clean cut,” Dr. Johnson said. “It was easy to close up and I don’t think it will leave you with much of a scar. Facial wounds are always scary looking because they bleed so much.”

  He finished his work and then leaned back in his chair and stared at her intently. “And now, how are you doing emotionally? You know, if you need somebody to talk to, I can get you in to see Ellie.”

  Ellie Miller was an older woman who was a psychiatrist. Even though she told everyone she was retired, she occasionally saw patients from an office in her home.

  “No, that’s not necessary, at least, not right now. All I really need is to get back to my normal life.” She drew in a deep breath. She wasn’t even sure she knew what a normal life looked like anymore. All she knew was that she didn’t have to live in fear anymore.

  Remembering the look
of horror on Clay’s face when she’d confessed her love for him shot a new pain through her heart. She supposed he’d be eager to move out now and get back to his real life. She no longer had to be a burden to him.

  “I’ll need to see you again in my office in about ten days to remove those stitches,” Dr. Johnson said as he helped her down from the examining table.

  “I’ll make an office appointment tomorrow morning,” she replied.

  What she’d really like to do right now was see Henry and Jenny. After believing she would never see them again, her heart ached with the need to hold them close and kiss their sweet faces. But first, she needed to see Dillon at the police station and get this whole ordeal behind her once and for all.

  She walked out into the waiting room to find Clay. He stood as she entered the room and smiled in obvious relief. “There’s that beautiful face,” he said.

  She raised a hand to the gauze that covered her stitches. “Not so beautiful anymore,” she said ruefully.

  “As long as you can smile, you’re beautiful,” he replied.

  She gave him a wan smile. “Let’s get to the police station so I can be done with all this and get home to my kids.”

  “What time is it?” she asked once they were in his truck.

  “Just after five,” he replied.

  “If felt like I was tied to that chair for days.” She released a weary sigh. “And I’ve never been so terrified as I was with Lori. I now feel like I could sleep for days.”

  “Do you want to wait to meet with Dillon? If you’re too tired you can always do it tomorrow. I’m sure he would understand, considering the trauma you’ve been through.”

  She shook her head. “No, I’d rather get it over with now.”

  “I’ve got to tell you, I’ve never been so afraid in my life. We would have gotten to that cabin a lot sooner if Hank hadn’t been drunk.” Clay explained to her about sobering up Hank enough that he’d finally been able to help them.

  He glanced over at her. “Can we take a minute and talk about us? I want you to know that I’m in love with you.”